Walking from one side of the valley, sometimes a matter of steps, to the other feels like moving from spring, with alpine flowers in bud and bloom to winter with snow and ice.
Walking through swathes of snowdrops in flower and budding daffodils to
the wintery scenes on the other side of the stream.
Walking up the Sabbia valley in the sunlight and after sitting in the sun eating our lunch and setting off to go down the valley on the other side..
we decided after looking at the path covered in snow it was prudent to return the way we came.
We discovered this semi derelict village on our walk down from the alpine village of Alpe Piane, a walk lasting 7 hours! Traces of once thriving hamlets are found throughout the valley with crumbling rusticos and you can picture these communities in their heyday. They would have been close knit communities, dependant on natural resources to survive and I can imagine life, although simple would have involved much hardship in toiling the land. I would think that generations of families would have lived under one roof with the younger generation having to take on the mantle and responsibility as the elders became less able. All that is left now are these crumbling ruins that we often see whilst walking. However, Massera, seems caught in time; there is evidence of a once industrious community with an old restaurant sign, a school perhaps and of course a chapel but the town is shrouded in tall empty buildings with Vendesi signs. There is still evidence that it is partially inhabited though with a set of curtains at a remote window or boots placed outside a door but who can possibly live here! There is no access by road and on foot, it is a gruelling path of rock. I imagine it is some stoical old Italian who has refused to budge from all he or she has ever known.
I came across this memorial site on my first visit to Italy and it’s poignancy was heightened by my grief at the time. On each tree is a plaque with flowers, dedicated to a young soldier from the village who lost his life in the Great Wars. They are young men with their lives ahead of them, many of them no older than my own son.
Hazelnuts, walnuts and chestnuts ready to crack or roast. The hazelnuts on the left still need extracting from their husks. If the don’t ‘roll’ out easily or they have some of the husk still attached, or they have a tiny hole then they will be no good and need discarding.
The black walnuts are really good. When they are ripe and come off the tree the husks become a soggy black staining mess which needs to be cleaned off – not an easy task. I’ve always read that you have to wait to this stage to harvest them but we found that if you got to them just before this stage then the green husk could be easily and cleanly peeled off. Once they have been aired and dried the nuts inside taste just as good and it’s a lot less mess and work. Beware if you are handling the walnuts once the husks have gone black they really stain!
Shrines are integral to the landscape in Italy and here in Valsesia are dotted over the hillside. I believe they are a place of solace for many people; you will often see a candle tucked into the shrine or a figure of christ which a visitor has left. I gain no comfort in that sense as I am not religious but I can stop and admire the artwork which is painted in traditional hues of terracotta, blue and orange.
It’s one of those glorious days (most days are) when you really appreciate the mountain climate; the middle of winter with the doors open and warm sunshine streaming in. Sitting in shirtsleeves on the balcony, mind you the locals are dressed as if they were in the middle of Scotland!
It’s a fact that unless you have lived in the mountains probably escapes you, and we only discovered it when we moved here, the mountains break up the clouds giving a largely dry and clear climate. The valleys are sheltered so little, if any wind, and dry air because the air has warmed and dried as it drifts down from the peaks a phenomenon known as the foehn effect.
We appreciate it even more when we get reports from the UK that is the usual grey and damp story from there!
Although we strive to make everyday special, and to some extent different; however there are some seasonal tasks which ‘frame’ the day. It’s not exactly a daily task but chopping kindling and bringing in firewood for the next few days is one of those and is always a satisfying task. With frozen ground underfoot and the warm winter morning sunshine raising a sweat; it’s a great way to start the day preparing the fuel, and then end the day (well at least start the evening, as it gets dark about 6.00 pm here at the moment) indoors with the hot glow of a roaring fire lighting up the room.
A Trip to the Supermarket today to stock up where I seemed to spend hours as there is so much choice! Not such a range as French Supermarkets which are unbeatable for fresh produce but a close second. Setting myself a challenge to cook only Italian food for some authenticity on this visit. Surprised there is so much dried pasta on the shelves when you can buy fresh for under two Euros. Now the rub, John is a vegetarian but I occasionally manage to persuade him to include a small amount of meat in his diet in Italy because how can you resist all those hams and dried meats! So spaghetti carbonara today; a simple, delicious meal with eggs, cheese, fresh tagliatelle, that naughty pancetta and some sage from the garden. We have inherited a fantastic iron pan from the previous owner so it is my ‘go to’ for all my dishes. The previous owner, Flavio, was born here and his mother before him so it feels right to use a piece of equipment that has been handed down over the years and put to good use.
At the house enjoying the Italian sunshine. The forecast was for heavy cloud all day; but as is often the case, the mountains break through the cloud and we have clear blue skies.
The house in full sunshine
Getting ready to chop the kindling
Firewood done
I’ve been busy getting firewood ready so we can use less gas. We try to keep the use of fossil fuels to a minimum by using firewood when we can. The house has very thick walls, useful in the summer as it stays cool, but needs some heat in the sub-zero winter temperatures. While we’ve been away we have just kept some electric heating set to keep the frost off, but they were set so low I don’t think they came on. When we got here the temperature in the house ranged from 1.5℃ to 2.8℃, but fortunately the pipes were all OK.
Wood burning is not perfect because of the particulate pollution, and we need to invest in a new wood burner at some point. That will improve the efficiency of the fire but only marginally reduce the particulates.
Using less gas, and electricity to some extent, obviously reduces our carbon footprint; but also importantly reduces the need to import fossil fuels from dubious states, particularly Russia and is a small way we can help Ukraine in these difficult times. This and driving slowly which uses less fuel; reducing CO2, saving us money and reducing imports from dubious regimes; win, win, win.
We also want to think about whether we are in a position to provide help to Ukrainian refugees by providing accommodation to a family either here in Italy or in the UK. I am always conscious of effectively being a guest in our Italian home località so I will find out what the neighbours think of having a Ukrainian family living here. It will make coming here different so is not a straightforward decision.
